Are you curious about meditation/mindfulness? Have you wanted to meditate but didn’t know where to start? Meditation is easy if you are taught correctly! As a meditation coach the most common questions I hear are…Do I have to wear certain clothes or change my religion? I can’t sit cross-legged on the floor…can I still meditate? You want me to empty my mind? My mind won’t stop wandering; I won’t be able to do this….
Here’s the simple run down. Meditation is an ancient practice designed to relax your body and mind. Most religious traditions include some form of meditation. It doesn’t require any special clothes or sitting position. In fact, most people meditate sitting in a chair. Wandering mind? No problem! You are normal. This wandering is not a barrier to meditation. Our brains are programmed to think. Most of us spend half of our time thinking about something other than what we are doing… you’ve had this happen right? What's on my schedule later? Should I make chicken or pasta for dinner? Where can I see a wild peacock? A wandering mind can leave us feeling unhappy because we are not experiencing our lives in the present moment. Reversely people report that when they are actively engaged in the present moment they experience more pleasure. Paying attention to what is happening right here, right now is the benefit of a meditation practice.
Meditation is the perfect de-stresser. It calms your mind and body increasing your ability to experience emotions without needing to distance from them. (You know what I mean, alcohol, drugs, work TV, food… all common ways to distance from our emotions.) Meditation gently releases the build-up of the past stress we carry and allows us to refill our energy reserves.
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A Meditation practice always begins with mindfulness. We learn to pay attention to our breath and body. This focus on breath trains your mind to pay attention to one thing at a time; turning away from the busyness of of the external world we sink into the place of peace and calm that exists under all the activity of the mind. Mindfulness trains you to be present by focusing your gentle attention on your breath or how your body feels.
Can you carve out 11 minutes to try this practice? I have included a body awareness mindfulness exercise for you! Nothing too Woo woo here. It’s a simple body relaxation exercise that can be done comfortably seated in a chair.
Find a quiet place where you can sit comfortably without being disturbed. I’ll talk you through this. Just listen. It’s easy.
Head to toe body relaxation…
How are you feeling? Relaxed? Calmer? I hope so!
I hope you enjoyed this! If you have any further questions, I’m here to help!
Peace,
Robin